Upper Red clays that lie above all the workable coal-seams of the field and are apparently the same as those which are known to lie 100 yards above the Thick coal, and places these Upper clays on a level and in close juxtaposition with the very base of the coal-field must have a throw of something about that amount. That these Upper Red beds are in reality upper Coal-measures is confirmed by all the beds being apparently quite conformable to each other, and the black and red measures graduating into each other at the Coppy Hall colliery.
It would follow from this that workable beds of coal lie at no inaccessible depth over all the corner of ground about Walsall Wood and Clay hanger, and may be reached after passing through from 300 to 600 feet of the red clays.
The same will be true also for the red brick clays of Essington Wood and the strip of country north and south of it, where these clays prevail; as also for the red clays of Rumour Hill east of Cannock and those of Littleworth near Hednesford, although near Cannock it is probable, from Mr. Gilpin's account, that the ground is too much cut up by faults to make exploration other than very hazardous.
The Cannock Chase District.—It has been already stated that the dip of the measures all across the part of the coal-field now being treated of is from east to west. In the northern part of the Brown Hills field, however, the beds are beginning slightly to curve round, so as to strike to the north-east and dip to the north-west. It is probable then that the beds all across the field will follow this curve, and that the Wyrley coals will curve round from Church Bridge and strike towards the north-west in the direction of Brereton.
This probability is confirmed by the fact of two outcrops of coal being still traceable in Cannock Chace by means of some old workings having this bearing. The one outcrop runs from about Heathy Hays to near Cooper's Lodge, as was formerly observed by myself. Another was traced by the persons employed by the Commissioners who divided the mines of Norton Manor. Mr. Beckett, of Wolverhampton, who was associated with these persons, has allowed me to examine the plans and reports which were drawn up.[1] This outcrop runs from a little north of Norton Church on to Norton Common, and it is stated in the report above alluded to that it was the opinion of the reporters that this coal was the same as the Bentley Hey coal, or that four-foot coal which lies next below the Wyrley (so called) Bottom coal.
We may perhaps be justified in looking on this outcrop at Norton as more probably that of the Eight-foot or Wyrley Bottom coal itself, and that the Bentley Hey coal crop will be found still further to the south-east, especially when we remember the existence both of the Bentley Hey coal and the Heathen coal in the pit of the Cathedral colliery, which lies in the trough of the Rising Sun 2 miles to the south-east.
Now, with the lower coals undoubtedly at the Brown Hills, the upper coals a little south of Cannock, and these traces of the middle beds half way between, we may feel pretty sure that we should have the whole workable and valuable part of the coal-field cropping out in regular succession from west to east along the line of Watling Street between the two boundary faults. The distance along the ground is about 4½ miles, say 24,000 feet, and the total thickness of the measures as presumed from the section given at p. 23, will be about 1,000 feet. This will give a mean inclination of about 1 in 24 or not quite 3°, which
- ↑ It was from this detailed survey that the information was gained that enabled Professor Ramsay to introduce into the map the faults in the neighbourhood of Norton reservoir, and correct some of my former work which was based upon imperfect and often erroneous information.
